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Turks vs. Iraqi Kurds: a new war brewing?
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by Actual News Geezer | July 9, 2007 at 09:04 am
5975 views | 20 Recommendations | 8 comments
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Associated Press reports today that Turkey has amassed 140,000 troops on its border with Iraq, and although Turkey has not confirmed the report, AP claims that Turkey's military chief asked the government to set political guidelines for an incursion into northern Iraq.
We are looking for Turkish and Kurdish bloggers in the region to report to NowPublic on any activities that may shed light on this report.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on Friday confirmed that detailed incursion plans were ready.Zebari said that his government cannot send its troops to secure the border with Turkey at a time when U.S. and Iraqi forces are fighting a deadly insurgency that has killed thousands of people.
"Our military forces are over-occupied with securing the streets and we do not have forces enough to open a new front. We do not want any conflict. However, no military violation has taken place till now," Zebari said.
Turkey has been battling separatist Kurdish rebels since 1984 in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. There has been a recent surge in rebel attacks, and 67 soldiers have been killed this year. More than 110 rebels were killed in the same period, according to the Turkish military.
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (8)
at 10:57 on July 28th, 2007
This will certainly cause a lot of problems for the US-Turkish relations, since the US rely on Kurds to fight Iraq terrorists, Iranians and other Terrorist groups or at least report on their activities. Town where Kurds reside is one of the more popular places for US troops to be deployed to as the Kurds welcome US Troops with open arms. Turkey being an ally of the US where they use their airports for US warplanes will certainly pit sides in this conflict if there is no peaceful resolution. I smell Kissinger being brought in to mediate. Hopefully an agreement can be reached without bloodshed. Most likely increased aid for Turkey and other vital concessions may be necessary to also stave off Iranian troop movement as well.
at 09:23 on July 9th, 2007
Well, wouldn't you know it? It'll be interesting to see on whose side the Bush administration would be singing its dirge and who it gets to blame for the build-up. Did I hear 'em say "Iran's dunnit!" already? Well done ANG, glad to know you're feeling that conflict north of the border... keep us updated, won't you?
at 13:02 on July 16th, 2007
News reports now have updated the estimates of Turkish forces on the Iraq border from 140,000 to 200,000 troops.
at 13:36 on July 12th, 2007
On a related note:
Firefight in Iraq Exposes Presence of Turkish Al Qaeda Operatives
The northward moves by Kurdish rebels into Turkey in recent weeks and their bombings of Turkish military and civilian targets have been reported extensively, as have the consequent threats by the Turkish military to move into Iraq to bring about a halt to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attacks. A firefight with U.S. forces in Iraq on June 23, however, has shed light on the hitherto lesser known southward flow of foreign fighters out of Turkey into Iraq and the role of Turkish al-Qaeda in overseeing that movement.
On June 23, as members of the Multinational Force-Iraq (MNF-I) approached a targeted building near Hawija, 150 miles north of Baghdad and south of Kirkuk, an area populated primarily by Kurds, four individuals entered a vehicle and attempted to leave the scene (MNF-I Statement, June 28). MNF-I forces followed the vehicle until it stopped and the occupants got out wielding weapons. A firefight ensued, in which all four were killed (Today's Zaman, June 29). Rocket-propelled grenades were also found in the vehicle. Two of the men have been identified: Mehmet Yilmaz, characterized as a senior leader in al-Qaeda, whose nom de guerre was Khalid al-Turki, and Mehmet Resit Isik, a courier and a close associate of senior al-Qaeda leaders, also known as Khalil al-Turki (the appellation "al-Turki" carries with it the connotation of nationality or heritage, in this case, Turkey). The MNF-I statement said that the bodies of both men had been positively identified. Yilmaz—also identified through a photo comparison and a forged Iraqi personal identification card—had operated a cell that brought foreign fighters into Iraq (Reuters, June 28).
The history of Yilmaz's involvement in al-Qaeda supports the description of him as a "senior" leader in the group. In 2001, an MNF-I statement said that Yilmaz led a group of Turks to fight in Afghanistan in the wake of the U.S. and coalition invasion to oust the Taliban from power. He was wounded there and, while in Pakistan for treatment, was captured by Pakistani authorities and deported to Turkey. Without elaboration, the MNF-I statement acknowledged that Yilmaz was released by Turkish authorities in late 2005 and resumed his operations in support of al-Qaeda in 2006, this time in Iraq. Turkish authorities are said to be investigating several attacks in which Yilmaz may have been involved (Trendaz, June 28).
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at 14:08 on July 12th, 2007
Wow - I am dumbfounded by the response I got from all of you. Many thanks. I think that we are going to see a LOT more bad news from Turkey, northern Iraq, and especially - Pakistan.
A couple of years ago I saw an interview with Henry Kissenger on Charlie Rose. Now I am no fan of Dr. Hank, but he said: "Forget about North Korea being the most dangerous country...the real menace is Pakistan."
at 13:17 on July 15th, 2007
hi actual news guy
am pre-empting myself a bit here... having just posted Turkey by numbers #1 & #2 -- which are part of a series backgrounding what's going on in Turkey right now -- #3 (coming soon) should cover what many (ie. those living here) see in Turkey as a coup process echoing previous events from the republic's turbulent history. that said, my planned #3 aims to cover the events and forces at work seeking to unseat the democratically elected AK Party government, of which the saber rattling at northern Iraq by the Turkish military is just a part... in short, it's more about domestic than international politics... as a pointer: why invade now when they could of gone in in 2003 with the US?... the latter who offered a buffer zone to Turkey inside of Iraq to deal with the PKK infiltration. instead the Turkish Parliament voted against it, including the very political parties wanting the army to go in now... the fight with the PKK has been going on for more than 20 years, claiming more than 37,000 lives. why is it suddenly the unique responsibility of the current government?... anyone who needs a bit of a spotlight on that: the general election is this coming Sunday, July 22 with the AK Party set to win again... and President Sezer, the Constitutional Court and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have the right to suspend Parliament during a time of war... it's in the Constitution, written in 1982 under the auspices of the ruling military junta of the time.... will keep you (and anyone who cares to know) posted.
at 20:24 on July 18th, 2007
I am having difficulties to understand some comments criticizing Turkey, and supporting
the terrorist group PKK.
I bet same people are also supporting the fight against terrorism.
Turkey is losing her soldiers in her own soil every day. N. Iraq is harboring
those PKK terrorists. What should they do ? I hate to see those ignorant
religious US TV channels blaming Turkey for being aggressive and supporting PKK
killings. I guess they think "Killing Muslims" is not terrorism ..
"A Turkish infantry master sergeant and a Turkish infantry soldier were
killed in a conflict between the PKK terrorist organization and the security
forces in Şırnak" 07/17/07
"Turkey has asked Washington for an explanation about the US arms supplies
that are delivered to the Kurdish rebel"
"Peace At Home Peace in The World" M. Kemal Ataturk
at 16:21 on August 2nd, 2007
Actual News Geezer, I like this story. It's good stuff.